CUCARD News

December 1, 2018

Middle School Social Anxiety Group

Group Therapy Program for Boys and Girls (ages 10-13) with Social Anxiety

The Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CUCARD) is pleased to announce a cognitive behavioral group therapy for boys and girls ages 10-13 (grades 5-8) who have difficulty in social situations due to anxiety, avoidance, or social skills deficits.

Our 10-week groups are formed based on children’s age and maturity. The next group will begin in December 2018 and will meet on Monday evenings.

Groups focus on:

-Skill building, relaxation training, role playing, feedback

-Exposure exercises to reduce anxiety in social situations

-Cognitive re-framing to challenge anxious thoughts

-Discussion about common concerns such as peer pressure and social media

Children learn to:

-Create concrete social goals to work toward

-Cope with physical symptoms of anxiety

-Develop skills to identify and challenge unhelpful thinking patterns

-Problem-solve and assert themselves in social situations

-Use feedback to understand consequences of specific social interactions